This invention relates generally to harvesters of the cornstalk type and, more particularly, to those with cutters and gatherers which may be either endless chains or belts.
Most conventional row crop attachments, especially of the butt-grip type, include a pair of moving, intermeshing conveying means, such as chains or belts which move relative to a floor for conveying the crop along a path to an associated ensilage chopping mechanism. There are basically two major limitations of such attachments. First, under some conditions, soil, downed crop, or undergrowth may become deposited along the path of conveyance between the floor and the conveying means partially obstructing the path and limiting orderly efficient movement of crop material. Second, since the crops are butt-gripped at a point substantially remote from their mass center, the crop stalks are relatively unstable while being conveyed along the path.
The foregoing illustrates limitations of the known prior art. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations as set forth above.
Accordingly, a suitable alternative is to provide means for keeping the conveyance path clear and for stabilizing the crop stalks during conveyance.